REDCAT: The EMP (Experience Music Project) Pop Conference brings together academics, critics, performers and dedicated fans in a rare common discussion. On the heels of a blowout gathering in New York last spring, this year’s conference expands its scope to include five different gatherings over the course of a single weekend in Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Cleveland and Seattle. REDCAT hosts day two of EMP L.A., organized around the theme “Locals Only: Pop and Politics in This Town.” Commandeering the “Locals Only” slogan—seen for years scrawled on renegade signs at certain L.A. beaches—EMP L.A. pays tribute to the importance of location, neighborhood and community in defining “minority majority” regions. The event’s panels and roundtables engage music and multimedia through academic, journalistic and aesthetic approaches. Read more